mountain health news

VIP Easter School Holiday Special

20% off Vitamins and SupplementsMonday 30th March – Saturday 11th April

No further discounts apply

Conditions apply

Offers available in store between 30/3/2015-11/04/2015 only

Autumn is upon us and its almost Easter! Speaking of Easter, below we discuss differences between cacao and cocoa & we hope you enjoy these healthy easter treat recipes. To celebrate Easter, for the next 2 weeks, all of our VIP customers will receive 20% off all vitamins & supplements, so come in & stock up!

Hope you all have a healthy & happy easter break.

Grain Free Hot cross buns

Ingredients:-

2 teaspoons coconut flour

90g ground almonds

1/4 Cup of agave nectar

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

grated rind of one whole orange

50g dried raisins/currants or combined

3 large eggs – separated

Method:-

Measure out & mix the dry ingredients, sieve them into a large bowl to ensure that there are no lumps, lots of air and everything is well combined.

Stir the orange rind with the raisin/currant combination into the dry mix.

In the food processor whisk the egg whites until firm and peaking – as for meringues. Separately whisk the egg yolks. With the food processor running pour the yolks into the egg whites until just mixed.

Tip gently into a large bowl.

Fold the dry ingredients into the eggs.

Divide into 4 and fill a muffin pan

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then on a rack.

Best eaten cut in half and toasted with lashings of your favourite topping!

Super Cacao!

It’s Easter, & we’re all surrounded by chocolate! Can we enjoy chocolate & stay healthy? How do we get that awesome chocolate flavour we all love, minus the nasty, processed ingredients regular chocolate is full of? This is where raw cacao powder comes in. Pronounced ca-kow and not to be mixed up with regular cocoa!

Cacao: refers to the plant, a small evergreen tree of the species Theobroma cacao, cultivated for its seeds, also known as raw cacao beans or raw cacao powder.

Cocoa: refers to the powder made from roasted, husked and ground cacao seeds, from which most of the fat has been removed.

Raw cacao is the way to go, and you’ll be even more excited to try out this chocolatey super food when you hear the benefits!

Raw cacao…

is high in antioxidants (more than blueberries, goji berries and acai!)

is high in minerals like magnesium and iron

is an anti-inflammatory

reduces stress

helps liver function

lowers risk of Alzheimer’s

reduces blood pressure

minimises the risk of cardio vascular disease and stroke

elevates the mood

Raw cacao is unprocessed and natural, whereas cocoa is highly processed and refined. Regular chocolate bars and Easter eggs are made from cocoa with added sugar, chemicals and fillers: the ingredients we want to steer clear of when it comes to any time of the year (not just Easter!). Raw cacao is available from Mountain Health.

Crème eggs recipe

Caramel Cream

1 1/2 cups cashews

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbl agave nectar

2 tbl coconut oil

warmed to liquefy

1/2 cup water

Pinch Celctic sea salt or Pink Himalayan Salt

Chocolate

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tbl carob powder

1 tbl cacao powder

1 tbl agave nectar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Make the caramel cream first by combining all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. The smoothness of the mixture will depend on the strength of your machine.

Then make the chocolate by combining all ingredients in a food processor or simply stir in a bowl with a whisk or fork ensuring any lumps are broken down until smooth.

Pour the chocolate into each egg mould so half is filled. Then spoon some caramel cream into the mould – be careful not to add too much as you want it to be encased in chocolate. Then pour over some more chocolate so there is no trace of the filling.